Alexw's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 10 Apr 2025 01:00:37 -0700 60 Alexw's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War]]> 195608683 The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War—a slow-burning crisis that finally tore a deeply divided nation in two.

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston: Fort Sumter.

Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.�

At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between both. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous Secretary of State, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.

Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.]]> 565 Erik Larson 0385348746 Alexw 4 The bombardment of Fort Sumter is also of real interest.]]> 4.13 2024 The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
author: Erik Larson
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:
Larson always delivers. We meet South Carolina Governor Pickens who penned a letter to take over 2 forts in Baltimore & Norfolk & then seize Washinton DC to assure the Souths break from the Union. Secretary Of State Seward advise Lincoln to start a war with Spain or France to distract the Nation form the South's secession.
The bombardment of Fort Sumter is also of real interest.
]]> <![CDATA[Fall of Man in Wilmslow: The Death and Life of Alan Turing]]> 27833850 From the author of the #1 bestsellerThe Girl in the Spider's Web, an electrifying thriller that begins with Alan Turing's suicide and then opens out to take in a young detective's awakening to painful secrets about his own life--and the life of his country.


It's 1954. Several English nationals have defected to the USSR, while a witch hunt for homosexuals rages across Britain. In these circumstances, no one is surprised when a mathematician by the name of Alan Turing is found dead in his home: it is widely assumed that he committed suicide, unable to cope with the humiliation of a criminal conviction for homosexuality. But young Detective Sergeant Leonard Corell, who had always dreamt of a career in higher mathematics, suspects greater forces are involved. In the face of opposition from his superiors, he begins to assemble the pieces of a puzzle that lead him to one of the most closely guarded secrets of the war: the Bletchley Park operation to crack the Nazis' Enigma code. But he is also about to be rocked by two startling developments in his own life, one of which will find him being pursued as a threat to national security...]]> 368 David Lagercrantz 0735232504 Alexw 0 currently-reading 3.32 2009 Fall of Man in Wilmslow: The Death and Life of Alan Turing
author: David Lagercrantz
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unbreakable Investor: Build the American Dream in any Economic Cycle (New First Edition)]]> 204805982 348 Charles Payne Alexw 0 to-read 4.75 Unbreakable Investor: Build the American Dream in any Economic Cycle (New First Edition)
author: Charles Payne
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> Unbreakable Investor 202463278 349 Charles Payne Alexw 3 Was disappointed that he never mentions (which no stockbroker ever does) that you can purchase stock directly from a company for little or no commission & same company will reinvest your dividends which gets you returns compounded. See Direct Stock Purchase Plan for companies that offer this feature.]]> 4.07 Unbreakable Investor
author: Charles Payne
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves:
review:
While semi-interesting with the cause of the rise & fall of Cisco & a list of Dividend Aristocrats which is an online list of companies that have raised their dividends at least 25 years in a row, the rest was very basic.
Was disappointed that he never mentions (which no stockbroker ever does) that you can purchase stock directly from a company for little or no commission & same company will reinvest your dividends which gets you returns compounded. See Direct Stock Purchase Plan for companies that offer this feature.
]]> <![CDATA[Comanche Moon (Lonesome Dove, #4)]]> 54807 THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER

The second book of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove tetralogy, Comanche Moon takes us once again into the world of the American West.
Texas Rangers August McCrae and Woodrow Call, now in their middle years, continue to deal with the ever-increasing tensions of adult life -- Gus with his great love, Clara Forsythe, and Call with Maggie Tilton, the young whore who loves him.

Two proud but very different men, they enlist with the Ranger troop in pursuit of Buffalo Hump, the great Comanche war chief; Kicking Wolf, the celebrated Comanche horse thief; and a deadly Mexican bandit king with a penchant for torture.

Assisting the Rangers in their wild chase is the renowned Kickapoo tracker, Famous Shoes.
Comanche Moon closes the twenty-year gap between Dead Man's Walk and Lonesome Dove, following beloved heroes Gus and Call and their comrades in arms -- Deets, Jake Spoon, and Pea Eye Parker -- in their bitter struggle to protect the advancing West frontier against the defiant Comanches, courageously determined to defend their territory and their way of life.]]> 716 Larry McMurtry Alexw 5 Throw in the backgrounds of Blue Duck, Deets, Newt & Jake Spoon for a thoroughly engrossing read.
Would have preferred about 60 pages less of the horrific torture of one Ranger.]]> 4.09 1997 Comanche Moon (Lonesome Dove, #4)
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:
This is the prequal to Lonesome Dove where the immortal literary characters of young Woodrow & Gus are still filled with the devil may care attitude. That attitude radically changes when they get a battlefield promotion to Captains & have to look out for the welfare of their fellow Texas Rangers, which leads to their grizzled wily attitudes in the later Pulitzer Prize winning Lonesome Dove.
Throw in the backgrounds of Blue Duck, Deets, Newt & Jake Spoon for a thoroughly engrossing read.
Would have preferred about 60 pages less of the horrific torture of one Ranger.
]]> Blood Memory 80631
Though her colleagues know her as a world-class forensic odontologist, Cat lives a secret life. Plagued by nightmares, and deeply involved with a married homicide detective, Cat holds herself together with iron nerves and alcohol, using her work as a substitute for life.

But her family's secluded antebellum estate provides no sanctuary. When some of Cat's forensic chemicals are spilled in her childhood bedroom, two bloody footprints are revealed. This discovery sets in motion a quest to piece together Cat's past - buried memories that could tie her father's murder to the grisly deaths occurring in New Orleans in the present. For only by finding this remorseless killer can Cat save her sanity - and her life.]]> 800 Greg Iles 0743454154 Alexw 0 to-read 4.12 2005 Blood Memory
author: Greg Iles
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Human Factor 62851
The Human Factor is Greene’s most extensive attempt to incorporate into fiction what he had learned of espionage when recruited by MI6 during World War II . . . What it offers is a veteran excursion into Greene’s imaginative world . . . Sometimes seen as a brooding prober into the dark recesses of the soul where sins and scruples alike fester, he is equally at home in sending a narrative careering along at break-neck pace . . . Raising the demarcation line between ‘serious� fiction and fast-plotted entertainment, Greene ensures that components of both jostle energizingly together in his pages.� –from the Introduction by Peter Kemp --]]> 368 Graham Greene 1857150716 Alexw 0 to-read 3.93 1978 The Human Factor
author: Graham Greene
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seekers (Kent Family Chronicles, #3)]]> 71772
Here is a panorama of magnificent action, peopled by, some of the bravest characters of an age. When Abraham Kent falls in love with this step-sister, he sets in motion a fate that will drive a generation westward -- until Amanda. a girl-child with the heart of a woman, seeks the new frontier that is this land's greatest opportunity -- and most awesome dread.]]> 544 John Jakes 0451212495 Alexw 0 to-read 4.08 1975 The Seekers (Kent Family Chronicles, #3)
author: John Jakes
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1975
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Patriot Games (Jack Ryan, #2) 415021 503 Tom Clancy 0425109720 Alexw 0 to-read 3.87 1987 Patriot Games (Jack Ryan, #2)
author: Tom Clancy
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]> 1256835 Mark Twain
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Cracked on the head by a crowbar in nineteenth-century Connecticut, Hank Morgan wakes to find himself in King Arthur’s England, facing a world whose idyllic surface masks fear, injustice, and ignorance. In this acclaimed tour de force, Mark Twain moves from broad comedy to biting social satire, from the pure joy of wild high jinks to deeply probing insights into the nature of man. Considered by H. L. Mencken to be “the most bitter critic of American platitude and delusion…that ever lived,� Twain enchants readers with a Camelot that strikes disturbingly contemporary notes.

With an introduction by Leland Krauth
And an afterword by Edmund Reiss


]]> 384 Mark Twain 0451529588 Alexw 0 to-read 3.50 1889 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
author: Mark Twain
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1889
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Anxious People 49127718 A poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined

Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix up their own marriage. There's a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Humorous, compassionate, and wise, Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times.

Includes short story - The Last Round of Golf]]> 336 Fredrik Backman 198216963X Alexw 0 to-read 4.17 2019 Anxious People
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
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]]> All the Colors of the Dark 203019740 From the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades.

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding light of hope.]]> 608 Chris Whitaker 0593798872 Alexw 2 Another annoying part-what is purple honey that they refer to?]]> 4.24 2024 All the Colors of the Dark
author: Chris Whitaker
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
This book put the mud in muddled. Patch is like Captain Ahab whose quest to kill Moby Dick destroyed everyone around him as Patch's quest is to find the girl who helped him survive being kidnapped. & destroys everyone that Patch cares about. Unfortunately, that is only the comparison to the classic Moby Dick as you muddle through poor writing, illogical happenings (who murders someone so you can get on death row to talk to another murderer?) & a cast of depressed characters.
Another annoying part-what is purple honey that they refer to?
]]> <![CDATA[Never Mind (Patrick Melrose, #1)]]> 13514899 Never Mind, the first installment in Edward St. Aubyn's wonderful, wry, and profound Patrick Melrose Cycle, follows five-year-old Patrick through a single day, as the Melrose family awaits the arrival of guests. Bright and imaginative, young Patrick struggles daily to contend with the searing cruelty of his father and the resignation of his embattled mother. But on this day he must endure an unprecedented horror—one that splits his world in two. In Never Mind, St. Aubyn renders this vivid tragedy with profound grace and precision, and introduces us to the unforgettable, complex figure of Patrick Melrose.]]> 181 Edward St. Aubyn 0434734527 Alexw 2 Add some memorable lines like a doctor whose patients were "woman who pretended their hangovers were migraines" and "somehow success was vulgar" which almost gave the novel 3 stars.]]> 3.79 1992 Never Mind (Patrick Melrose, #1)
author: Edward St. Aubyn
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1992
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves:
review:
My expectations on his novel would be about the idle bored English rich as in Downton Abbey or the Netflix serial of the Crown & boy was I wrong. Throw in a cast of characters that had an incestuous pedophile, a boozer & pill popper whose prodigious use of drugs would put any rock star to shame & a boring writer(autobiographical?)
Add some memorable lines like a doctor whose patients were "woman who pretended their hangovers were migraines" and "somehow success was vulgar" which almost gave the novel 3 stars.
]]> <![CDATA[Bad News (Patrick Melrose, #2)]]> 1077554
Bad News was originally published, along with Never Mind and Some Hope, as part of a three book omnibus also called Some Hope.]]> 224 Edward St. Aubyn 0749398728 Alexw 0 to-read 3.78 1992 Bad News (Patrick Melrose, #2)
author: Edward St. Aubyn
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Boone's Lick 63447 Boone's Lick is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry's return to the kind of story that made him famous -- an enthralling tale of the nineteenth-century west. Like his bestsellers Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo, Comanche Moon, and Dead Man's Walk, Boone's Lick transports the reader to the era about which McMurtry writes better and more shrewdly than anyone else.
Told with McMurtry's unique blend of historical fact and sheer storytelling genius, the novel follows the Cecil family's arduous journey by riverboat and wagon from Boone's Lick, Missouri, to Fort Phil Kearny in Wyoming. Fifteen-year-old Shay narrates, describing the journey that begins when his Ma, Mary Margaret, decides to hunt down her elusive husband, Dick, to tell him she's leaving him. Without knowing precisely where he is, they set out across the plains in search of him, encountering grizzly bears, stormy weather, and hostile Indians as they go. With them are Shay's siblings, G.T., Neva, and baby Marcy; Shay's uncle, Seth; his Granpa Crackenthorpe; and Mary Margaret's beautiful half-sister, Rose. During their journey they pick up a barefooted priest named Father Villy, and a Snake Indian named Charlie Seven Days, and persuade them to join in their travels.
At the heart of the novel, and the adventure, is Mary Margaret, whom we first meet shooting a sheriff's horse out from underneath him in order to feed her family. Forceful, interesting, and determined, she is written with McMurtry's trademark deftness and sympathy for women, and is in every way a match for the worst the west can muster.
Boone's Lick abounds with the incidents, the excitements, and the dangers of life on the plains. Its huge cast of characters includes such historical figures as Wild Bill Hickok and the unfortunate Colonel Fetterman (whose arrogance and ineptitude led to one of the U.S. Army's worst and bloodiest defeats at the hands of the Cheyenne and Sioux) as well as the Cecil family (itself based on a real family of nineteenth-century traders and haulers).
The story of their trek in pursuit of Dick, and the discovery of his second and third families, is told with brilliance, humor, and overwhelming joie de vivre in a novel that is at once high adventure, a perfect western tale, and a moving love story -- it is, in short, vintage McMurtry, combining his brilliant character portraits, his unerring sense of the west, and his unrivaled eye for the telling detail.
Boone's Lick is one of McMurtry's richest works of fiction to date.]]> 287 Larry McMurtry 0671040588 Alexw 5 This novel explores the hardship of moving West along with a cast of characters that you immediately like. Throw in some brilliant dialogue and you have sure fire 5 stars.]]> 3.67 2000 Boone's Lick
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves:
review:
Any McMurtry western automatically gets a 5-star rating. After all he wrote Lonesome Dove which is fantastic.
This novel explores the hardship of moving West along with a cast of characters that you immediately like. Throw in some brilliant dialogue and you have sure fire 5 stars.
]]> James 173754979 A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780385550369.]]> 303 Percival Everett Alexw 4 spoiler alert-The book closely follows Twain's book until the second time that James is separated from Huck. The narrative switches to James & his mental discussion with the philosophers is mind blowing.
Another memorable passage is when a slave dies around James & he says, "She was dead when I found her, she's just died again but this time she died free."
Samuel Clemens would give this fascinating novel 4 stars also.]]> 4.47 2024 James
author: Percival Everett
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
To take on the daunting task of writing a book that Ernest Hemingway stated" All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There has been nothing before that. There has been nothing as good since."
spoiler alert-The book closely follows Twain's book until the second time that James is separated from Huck. The narrative switches to James & his mental discussion with the philosophers is mind blowing.
Another memorable passage is when a slave dies around James & he says, "She was dead when I found her, she's just died again but this time she died free."
Samuel Clemens would give this fascinating novel 4 stars also.
]]> Confess 22609310
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?]]> 306 Colleen Hoover 1476791457 Alexw 0 to-read 4.14 2015 Confess
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)]]> 50659468
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.

Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.]]> 626 Sarah J. Maas 1635575583 Alexw 4 The love scenes are cringy with every time Feyre & Rhysand touch, they moan & groan & the mountains shake.]]> 4.65 2016 A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:
The author's imagination has no bounds & the fight scenes are the best and of course the last big fight scene leads you to the next book.
The love scenes are cringy with every time Feyre & Rhysand touch, they moan & groan & the mountains shake.
]]> Fall of Man in Wilmslow 27071487 ¿Tuvo algo que ver su implicación en Enigma, la máquina de su invención que logró descifrar los códigos nazis? Su reciente condena por homosexualidad hizo saltar las alarmas en el seno de los servicios secretos: ¿pudo haber sido chantajeado por espías soviéticos, convirtiéndolo en un agente doble? ¿Podría tratarse de un complot en el que están implicadas las más altas instancias del país?]]> 368 David Lagercrantz 1101946695 Alexw 0 to-read 3.30 2009 Fall of Man in Wilmslow
author: David Lagercrantz
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Frozen River 112975658 A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.]]> 432 Ariel Lawhon 0385546874 Alexw 5 Did not understand the symbolism of the silver fox (not sure any was intended) but all in all a great read.]]> 4.38 2023 The Frozen River
author: Ariel Lawhon
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:
A riveting murder mystery that should have been named the Fertile River instead of the Frozen River from all the pregnancies involved. The truly bad guy who was murdered had tons of suspects who wanted him dead & another bad guy had poetic justice served on him.
Did not understand the symbolism of the silver fox (not sure any was intended) but all in all a great read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Crimson Petal and the White]]> 40200 922 Michel Faber 1841954314 Alexw 4 Most of the sex scenes are right out of Penthouse Forums. Good dialogue saves this from being rated 3 stars.]]> 3.88 2002 The Crimson Petal and the White
author: Michel Faber
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:
At over 900 pages which could have easily been cut down to 800 pages, the main characters are two brothers and one mistress. One of the brothers is the guilty conscience of the other two which makes for interesting reading, with the narrator telling you what will happen next. The woman with a medical problem was boring.
Most of the sex scenes are right out of Penthouse Forums. Good dialogue saves this from being rated 3 stars.
]]> Scat 40669542
But when the principal claims Mrs. Starch has gone on a "family emergency," Nick and Marta don't buy it. They guess that delinquent Smoke plays a part in her disappearance. And he does. But not in the way they think.

More is going on in Black Vine Swamp than any one player in this twisted tale can see. Nick and Marta will have to reckon with an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, a singing substitute teacher, and a ticked-off Florida panther, before they really begin to see the big picture.]]> 386 Carl Hiaasen Alexw 0 to-read 3.98 2009 Scat
author: Carl Hiaasen
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Last of Summer 2368848 268 Kate O'Brien 1844084035 Alexw 0 to-read 3.46 1934 The Last of Summer
author: Kate O'Brien
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.46
book published: 1934
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer]]> 80571
J. Robert Oppenheimer is one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress.

When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s. They declared that Oppenheimer could not be trusted with America’s nuclear secrets.

In this magisterial biography twenty-five years in the making, which won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for biography, the authors capture Oppenheimer’s life and times, from his early career to his central role in the Cold War.]]> 721 Kai Bird Alexw 5 Other dramatic moments had Oppenheimer watching the first A-bomb explosion with the mushroom cloud & saying "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" from the Bhagavad-Gita. I never questioned Oppenheimer's unwaveringly loyalty to America and when his security clearance was revoked by the crooked commissioned panel, Einstein disgustingly said " Atomic Energy Commission should be renamed Atomic Extermination Conspiracy."
One problem I had was that the author insists that Japan was ready to surrender before any A-Bombs were dropped so why did Japan wait for the second A-bomb to be dropped before surrendering?
I will be hard pressed to read a better book in 2025.]]> 4.27 2005 American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
author: Kai Bird
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:
This is the best biography I have read since Robert Caro's masterpiece, The Master Of The Senate. Author, Kai Bird's meticulous research pays off as you feel you know Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer is so book smart but so naive & gullible to the point of ridiculous. He immediately fails to report communist Chevalier for asking Oppenheimer to report to a Soviet diplomat about research on the A-Bomb because he likes Chevalier. Oppenheimer unwittingly hires 2 Soviet agents on the Manhattan project. Some mistakes you never quit paying for.
Other dramatic moments had Oppenheimer watching the first A-bomb explosion with the mushroom cloud & saying "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" from the Bhagavad-Gita. I never questioned Oppenheimer's unwaveringly loyalty to America and when his security clearance was revoked by the crooked commissioned panel, Einstein disgustingly said " Atomic Energy Commission should be renamed Atomic Extermination Conspiracy."
One problem I had was that the author insists that Japan was ready to surrender before any A-Bombs were dropped so why did Japan wait for the second A-bomb to be dropped before surrendering?
I will be hard pressed to read a better book in 2025.
]]> The Mayor of Casterbridge 56759 Librarian note: The same ISBN is now being used here with a new cover.

In a fit of drunken anger, Michael Henchard sells his wife and baby daughter for five guineas at a country fair. Over the course of the following years, he manages to establish himself as a respected and prosperous pillar of the community of Casterbridge, but behind his success there always lurk the shameful secret of his past and a personality prone to self-destructive pride and temper. Subtitled ‘A Story of a Man of Character�, Hardy’s powerful and sympathetic study of the heroic but deeply flawed Henchard is also an intensely dramatic work, tragically played out against the vivid backdrop of a close-knit Dorsetshire town.]]> 393 Thomas Hardy Alexw 4 Hardy is the father of the cliff hangers as he wrote serials for newspapers & left an article on the person hanging on a cliff. This novel also has several heart pounding articles.]]> 3.85 1886 The Mayor of Casterbridge
author: Thomas Hardy
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1886
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:
I have read a few of Hardy's works & this one is closer to Tess of the D'Urbervilles & Jude the Obscure. Michael, the main character is his own worst enemy & has the uncanny knack of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Roaring drunk, he sells his wife & daughter to a sailor & then his jealousy for everything ruins his life.
Hardy is the father of the cliff hangers as he wrote serials for newspapers & left an article on the person hanging on a cliff. This novel also has several heart pounding articles.
]]> The Lost Bookshop 65137920 The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.

‘The thing about books,� she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.�

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found�

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder� where nothing is as it seems.]]> 432 Evie Woods 0008609209 Alexw 5 My only slight criticism was that the mysterious library was too farfetched.]]> 4.04 2023 The Lost Bookshop
author: Evie Woods
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves:
review:
An engrossing read with chance meetings of authors Hemingway & Joyce as the treasure hunters seek a long-lost novel written by Bronte. Throw in a murder, a truly unremorseful villain, World War 2 & a heart wrenching truly agonizing part of an insane asylum and you have a true 5 star read.
My only slight criticism was that the mysterious library was too farfetched.
]]> Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) 10429045 I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war—and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.]]> 338 Tahereh Mafi 0062085484 Alexw 3 Was tired of the trembling she feels when she touches others as was done over & over.]]> 3.86 2011 Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
review:
Reminds me of X-men. People have different powers and her is just exactly as one the X-men first movie. Meet other mutants to fight the bad guys and is the first of many novels about these mutants.
Was tired of the trembling she feels when she touches others as was done over & over.
]]> <![CDATA[The Armor of Light (Kingsbridge, #4)]]> 81067992 The long-awaited sequel to A Column of Fire, The Armor of Light, heralds a new dawn for Kingsbridge, England, where progress clashes with tradition, class struggles push into every part of society, and war in Europe engulfs the entire continent and beyond.

The Spinning Jenny was invented in 1770, and with that, a new era of manufacturing and industry changed lives everywhere within a generation. A world filled with unrest wrestles for control over this new world order: A mother’s husband is killed in a work accident due to negligence; a young woman fights to fund her school for impoverished children; a well-intentioned young man unexpectedly inherits a failing business; one man ruthlessly protects his wealth no matter the cost, all the while war cries are heard from France, as Napoleon sets forth a violent master plan to become emperor of the world. As institutions are challenged and toppled in unprecedented fashion, ripples of change ricochet through our characters� lives as they are left to reckon with the future and a world they must rebuild from the ashes of war.

Over thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, with this electrifying addition to the Kingsbridge series we are plunged into the battlefield between compassion and greed, love and hate, progress and tradition. It is through each character that we are given a new perspective to the seismic shifts that shook the world in nineteenth-century Europe.]]> 737 Ken Follett 0525954996 Alexw 5 This is the 5th book in the Kingsbridge set-every novel is excellent.]]> 4.10 2023 The Armor of Light (Kingsbridge, #4)
author: Ken Follett
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
Follett, the master of dialogue again gives us characters that we truly like. His description of the battle of Waterloo was especially fascinating. I especially liked Kit who was orphaned at an early age, worked hard to make himself a success and served with distinction at Waterloo.
This is the 5th book in the Kingsbridge set-every novel is excellent.
]]> <![CDATA[Three Men in a Boat (Three Men, #1)]]> 4921
"We agree that we are overworked, and need a rest - A week on the rolling deep? - George suggests the river -"

And with the co-operation of several hampers of food and a covered boat, the three men (not forgetting the dog) set out on a hilarious voyage of mishaps up the Thames. When not falling in the river and getting lost in Hampton Court Maze, Jerome K. Jerome finds time to express his ideas on the world around - many of which have acquired a deeper fascination since the day at the end of the 19th century when this excursion was so lightly undertaken.]]> 185 Jerome K. Jerome Alexw 0 to-read 3.86 1889 Three Men in a Boat (Three Men, #1)
author: Jerome K. Jerome
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1889
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War]]> 4820 HOW DID AMERICA BEGIN?

This simple question launches acclaimed author Nathaniel Philbrick on an extraordinary journey to understand the truth behind our most sacred national myth: the voyage of the Mayflower and the settlement of Plymouth Colony. As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying new book, the story of the Pilgrims does not end with the First Thanksgiving; instead, it is a fifty-five-year epic that is at once tragic and heroic, and still carries meaning for us today.]]> 461 Nathaniel Philbrick 0670037605 Alexw 4 That aside the Mayflower was very interesting with the Pilgrims enduring way too many hardships as they did not use maps when coming to the New World & if they had used maps would have settled in present day Boston which had much better weather & abundant wildlife.
Was also shocked at how many slaves (1,000) were sold by the Puritans to raise money for living expenses.]]> 3.87 2006 Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
author: Nathaniel Philbrick
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves:
review:
I would have rated this book at 5 stars except for the fact that I kept comparing Philbrick's writing style to Shaara's whose book The Glorious Cause I had just finished just a month ago. Shaara's dialogue is so much better which makes history come alive.
That aside the Mayflower was very interesting with the Pilgrims enduring way too many hardships as they did not use maps when coming to the New World & if they had used maps would have settled in present day Boston which had much better weather & abundant wildlife.
Was also shocked at how many slaves (1,000) were sold by the Puritans to raise money for living expenses.
]]> The Witch Elm 39720991
The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we're capable of, when we no longer know who we are.]]> 528 Tana French 0735224633 Alexw 4 A few unexpected plot twists made this most enjoyable.]]> 3.53 2018 The Witch Elm
author: Tana French
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves:
review:
While most of the talented writer French's novels evolves from hardnosed cops catching the murderer, this took a different spin of having a murder mystery not until page 161 of the novel. The pace does move quickly after the police are brought in.
A few unexpected plot twists made this most enjoyable.
]]> Cat’s Cradle 135479 Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ...

Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he's the inventor of 'ice-nine', a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three ecentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker's Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to humankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh...]]> 306 Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Alexw 4 While Vonnegut goes full blown Dr Suess on inventing his religion with many nonsense words overall, the novel was on the symbolism of nuclear war.]]> 4.17 1963 Cat’s Cradle
author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1963
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves:
review:
A satirical view of society as a bicycle mogul wants to move his plant to San Lorenzo because "people down there are so poor & too ignorant enough to have common sense." Our hero who has been with 53-woman rebels against his wife's promiscuity until she threatens to leave him & then he decides she can be promiscuous.
While Vonnegut goes full blown Dr Suess on inventing his religion with many nonsense words overall, the novel was on the symbolism of nuclear war.
]]> <![CDATA[The Glorious Cause (The American Revolutionary War)]]> 785003 680 Jeff Shaara 0345427580 Alexw 5 got him court-martialed. General Cornwallis of the British Army is shown to be an honorable man.
Highly recommended. ]]> 4.29 The Glorious Cause (The American Revolutionary War)
author: Jeff Shaara
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves:
review:
Once again Shaara has written a brilliant book detailing the suffering at Valley Forge & the elation of winning the American Revolution. Of particular interest is 2 names that y0u do not hear much about, Nathaniel Greene who took over a supplier for the American troops when they so desperately needed food & clothing & Charles Lee whose cowardice and insubordination
got him court-martialed. General Cornwallis of the British Army is shown to be an honorable man.
Highly recommended.
]]> The Rose Code 53914938 The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of East-End London poverty, works the legendary code-breaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter—the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger—and their true enemy...]]> 624 Kate Quinn 0062943472 Alexw 4 4.42 2021 The Rose Code
author: Kate Quinn
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/11/21
shelves:
review:
Interesting novel with Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabth, Prince Phillip thrown in to make even more intriguing. The forlorn romance of Osla become very tedious& nauseating but how they rooted out the traitor was fascinating.
]]> <![CDATA[A Banquet of Consequences (Inspector Lynley, #19)]]> 22571556
The unspoken secrets and buried lies of one family rise to the surface in Elizabeth George’s newest novel of crime, passion, and tragic history. As Inspector Thomas Lynley investigates the London angle of an ever more darkly disturbing case, his partner, Barbara Havers, is looking behind the peaceful façade of country life to discover a twisted world of desire and deceit.

The suicide of William Goldacre is devastating to those left behind who will have to deal with its unintended consequences—could there be a link between the young man’s leap from a Dorset cliff and a horrific poisoning in Cambridge?

After various issues with her department, Barbara Havers is desperate to redeem herself. So when a past encounter gives her a connection to the unsolved Cambridge murder, Barbara begs Thomas Lynley to let her pursue the crime, knowing one mistake could mean the end of her career.

Full of shocks, intensity, and suspense from the first page to the last, A Banquet of Consequences reveals both Lynley and Havers under mounting pressure to solve a case both complicated and deeply disturbing.]]> 576 Elizabeth George 0525954333 Alexw 3 There is some comedy relief as her son begs his estranged wife to comfort her for a while he was gone. The estranged wife is having an affair, so a cat fight ensues.
The novel is much better with the 2 police assigned to the murder.]]> 3.86 2015 A Banquet of Consequences (Inspector Lynley, #19)
author: Elizabeth George
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/01
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves:
review:
Billed as a murder mystery but not until page 163 does a murder take place and until then we are introduced to the most annoying character. She has the knack of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time & doubles down by saying it all the time. I was hoping she would be murdered but no such luck and had to suffer through the next 410 pages on her.
There is some comedy relief as her son begs his estranged wife to comfort her for a while he was gone. The estranged wife is having an affair, so a cat fight ensues.
The novel is much better with the 2 police assigned to the murder.
]]> <![CDATA[Fable (The World of the Narrows, #1)]]> 44012880
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him, and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive.

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men. Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue, and adventure.

A newer edition of ISBN 9781250254368 can be found here.]]> 357 Adrienne Young Alexw 4 4.00 2020 Fable (The World of the Narrows, #1)
author: Adrienne Young
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves:
review:
Looking for buried treasure is always interesting. Add a harsh father with the ironic name of Saint & hard scrabble lives for everyone in the tale and you have a fun book. Was disappointed that the author spent that last third of the book setting up her sequel which I will not read as one of these books was enough.
]]> Gone For Soldiers 56331
In March 1847, the U.S. Navy delivers eight thousand soldiers on the beaches of Vera Cruz. They are led by the army's commanding general, Winfield Scott, a heroic veteran of the War of 1812, short tempered, vain, and nostalgic for the glories of his youth. At his right hand is Robert E. Lee, a forty-year-old engineer, a dignified, serious man who has never seen combat.

Scott leads his troops against the imperious Mexican dictator, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana. Obsessed with glory and his place in history, Santa Ana arrogantly underestimates the will and the heart of Scott and his army. As the Americans fight their way inland, both sides understand that the inevitable final conflict will come at the gates and fortified walls of the ancient capital, Mexico City.

Cut off from communication and their only supply line, the Americans learn about their enemy and themselves, as young men witness for the first time the horror of war. While Scott must weigh his own place in history, fighting what many consider a bully's war, Lee the engineer becomes Lee the hero, the one man in Scott's command whose extraordinary destiny as a soldier is clear.

In vivid, brilliant prose that illuminates the dark psychology of soldiers and their commanders trapped behind enemy lines, Jeff Shaara brings to life the haunted personalities and magnificent backdrop, the familiar characters, the stunning triumphs and soul-crushing defeats of this fascinating, long-forgotten war. Gone for Soldiers is an extraordinary achievement that will remain with you long after the final page is turned.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 512 Jeff Shaara 0345427521 Alexw 0 to-read 4.14 2000 Gone For Soldiers
author: Jeff Shaara
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Thankful Love (Richards Family, #1)]]> 18915804 46 K. Victoria Chase 0989065170 Alexw 0 to-read 3.49 2013 A Thankful Love (Richards Family, #1)
author: K. Victoria Chase
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Fox 37903729 But what if the most dangerous weapon in the world isn’t a smart missile or a stealth submarine or even an AI computer programme? What if it’s an 18-year-old boy with a blisteringly brilliant mind, who can run rings around the most sophisticated security services across the globe, who can manipulate that weaponry and turn it against the superpowers themselves? How valuable would he be? And what ɴdzܱ’t you do to get hold of him?

The Fox is a race-against-time thriller across continents to find and capture, or protect and save, an asset with the means to change the balance of world power. Whatever happens he must not fall into the wrong hands. Because what follows after that is unthinkable�

'Forsyth deserves his place among the thriller greats.' The Times

'The master of the modern espionage novel returns . . . this is Forsyth at his spellbinding best.' Daily Mail]]> 0 Frederick Forsyth 1473560136 Alexw 4 3.48 2018 The Fox
author: Frederick Forsyth
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:
While not up to par with his masterpiece of The Day Of The Jackal, Forsyth keeps the action flowing. His description of gun fights is so vivid that you imagine that he personally had to be in several gun fights. Throw in enough conspiracies that boggle the imagination and you have a good read.
]]> <![CDATA[Forget Me Always (Lovely Vicious #2)]]> 28159835 All warfare is deception. Even in high school.

It’s been nineteen days since Isis Blake forgot about him. The boy she can't quite remember. She's stuck in the hospital with a turban-size bandage on her head, more Jell-o than a human being should ever face, and a tiny bit of localized amnesia. Her only goal? To get out of this place before she becomes a complete nutjob herself.

But as Isis’s memories start to return, she realizes there’s something important there at the edges of her mind. Something that may mean the difference between life and death. Something about Sophia, Jack’s girlfriend.

Jack Hunter—the “Ice Prince”—remembers everything. Remembers Isis's purple hair and her smart-ass mouth. Remembers that for a little while, Isis made him feel human. She made him feel. She burned a hole in the ice…and it's time to freeze back up. Boys like him don't deserve girls like her. Because Jack is dangerous. And that danger might be the only thing protecting her from something far more threatening.

Her past.

]]> 272 Sara Wolf Alexw 0 to-read 4.09 2016 Forget Me Always (Lovely Vicious #2)
author: Sara Wolf
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)]]> 52253300 Two sisters.One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself... And an intoxicating romance. Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.
Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is at is seems...]]> 385 Kerri Maniscalco 0316428442 Alexw 0 to-read 3.90 2020 Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Life's Golden Ticket: A Story About Second Chances]]> 30077409 New York Times bestselling author of The Millionaire Messenger—a triumphant tale of personal growth and change that will inspire anyone who has ever wished for a second chance.

What if you were handed a golden ticket that could magically start your life anew?

That question is at the heart of Life’s Golden Ticket. Brendon Burchard tells the story of a man who is so trapped in the prison of his past that he cannot see the possibilities, the choices, and the gifts before him. To soothe his fiancée Mary, clinging to life in a hospital bed, the man takes the envelope she offers and heads to an old, abandoned amusement park that she begs him to visit.

To his surprise, when he steps through the rusted entrance gates, the park magically comes to life. Guided by the wise groundskeeper Henry, the man will encounter park employees, answer difficult questions, overcome obstacles, listen to lessons from those wiser than he, and take a hard look at himself.

At the end of his journey, the man opens Mary’s mysterious envelope. Inside is a golden ticket—the final phase in turning his tragic life’s story of loss and regret into a triumphant tale of love and redemption.]]> 193 Brendon Burchard 0062563432 Alexw 0 to-read 4.17 2007 Life's Golden Ticket: A Story About Second Chances
author: Brendon Burchard
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Awakening of Ren Crown (Ren Crown, #1)]]> 18921929
Her paintbrush brings objects to life—why not her twin brother, too? But even in a world where layers of magic create entire worlds on top of our own, some rules should never be broken.

Unfortunately, evil will stop at nothing to use Ren and her unimaginable ability.

With the help of the most brilliant minds on campus, Ren will risk everything to master her power and fight back—forcing her to choose how far she is willing to go for the ones she loves.

"A strong heroine and incredible world building make this a must read series."

-Barbara Freethy, #1 NYT Bestselling Author]]> 461 Anne Zoelle 0985861304 Alexw 0 to-read 4.10 2012 The Awakening of Ren Crown (Ren Crown, #1)
author: Anne Zoelle
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, #1)]]> 25494343 Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions�

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters� help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.]]> 688 Cassandra Clare 1442468351 Alexw 3 4.35 2016 Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/18
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:
A magical realm with witches & warlocks searching for the murderer of parents (just like Harry Potter)! While I have never read or watched more than 10 minutes of Twilight, this novel follows all the long sighs & looking deep into the eyes of young love. The author's brilliant imagination does save this from being a 2-star novel.
]]> <![CDATA[The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)]]> 15810910
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.

The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.]]> 513 Django Wexler 0451465105 Alexw 0 to-read 4.03 2013 The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)
author: Django Wexler
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Caesar: Life of a Colossus 60432
In the introduction to his biography of the great Roman emperor, Adrian Goldsworthy writes, “Caesar was at times many things, including a fugitive, prisoner, rising politician, army leader, legal advocate, rebel, dictator . . . as well as husband, father, lover and adulterer.� In this landmark biography, Goldsworthy examines Caesar as military leader, all of these roles and places his subject firmly within the context of Roman society in the first century B.C.
]]> 583 Adrian Goldsworthy 0300120486 Alexw 4 4.20 2006 Caesar: Life of a Colossus
author: Adrian Goldsworthy
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/25
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves:
review:
The author who also wrote The Fall Of Rome gets bogged downed in minute detail of Roman life when he should have been more details on Caesar. Caesar's accomplishments were legendary, despite having malaria & being an epileptic.
]]> Sincerely, Andy Rooney 176236
Now Rooney has collected the funniest, wisest, and most interesting of his letters, spanning several decades and addressing issues both momentous and trivial. He responds to complaints from viewers; he corresponds with old friends; and he writes to his children about the things he cares about most. Variously caustic, hilarious, and sage, these unfailingly entertaining letters reveal not only Rooney the iconoclast but Rooney the American Everyman. Sincerely, Andy Rooney is Andy Rooney at his best-and a wonderful gift book that will make readers chuckle and think twice.]]> 352 Andy Rooney 1586480456 Alexw 3 3.65 1999 Sincerely, Andy Rooney
author: Andy Rooney
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:
Funny, witty book about his life's problems and how he handles those problems.
]]> <![CDATA[Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with The Merry Men & Other Tales and Fables]]> 3086438 Alternative cover edition - ISBN10: 1853260614 - ISBN13: 9781853260612

In seeking to discover his inner self, the brilliant Dr Jekyll discovers a monster. First published to critical acclaim in 1886, this mesmerising thriller is a terrifying study of the duality of man's nature, and it is the book which established Stevenson's reputation as a writer.

Also included in this volume is Stevenson's 1887 collection of short stories, The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables.

The Merry Men is a gripping Highland tale of shipwrecks and madness; Markheim, the sinister study of the mind of a murderer; Thrawn Janet, a spine-chilling tale of demonic possession; Olalla, a study of degeneration and incipient vampirism in the Spanish mountains; Will O' the Mill, a thought-provoking fable about a mountain inn-keeper; and The Treasure of Franchard, a study of French bourgeois life.]]> 232 Robert Louis Stevenson Alexw 5 3.73 1887 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with The Merry Men & Other Tales and Fables
author: Robert Louis Stevenson
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1887
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Day That Never Comes (The Dublin Trilogy #2)]]> 33783151
Dublin is in the middle of a heat wave and tempers are running high. The Celtic Tiger is well and truly dead, activists have taken over the headquarters of a failed bank, the trial of three unscrupulous property developers teeters on the brink of collapse, and in the midst of all this, along comes a mysterious organisation hell-bent on exacting bloody vengeance in the name of the little guy.

Paul Mulchrone doesn’t care about any of this; he has problems of his own. His newly established detective agency is about to be DOA. One of his partners won’t talk to him for very good reasons and the other has seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth for no reason at all. Can he hold it together long enough to figure out what Bunny McGarry’s colourful past has to do with his present absence?

When the law and justice no longer mean the same thing, on which side will you stand?

The Day That Never Comes is the second book in Caimh McDonnell’s Dublin trilogy, which melds fast-paced action with a distinctly Irish acerbic wit.]]> 341 Caimh McDonnell Alexw 0 to-read 4.20 2017 The Day That Never Comes (The Dublin Trilogy #2)
author: Caimh McDonnell
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Diamond Eye 58490567 The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kyiv, wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.]]> 435 Kate Quinn 0062943510 Alexw 5 4.26 2022 The Diamond Eye
author: Kate Quinn
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/15
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves:
review:
Another exciting winner from Kate Quinn. Vivid battle scenes, dastardly villains with enough historical figures to hold your interest. One on my new favorite writers.
]]> The Keeper of Lost Things 30363088 A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.

Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles�Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.

Bone china cup and saucer�Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.

Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidentally left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.

Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.

Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.

As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?

Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs Queen Takes the Train, and The Silver Linings Playbook.]]> 288 Ruth Hogan Alexw 4 3.70 2017 The Keeper of Lost Things
author: Ruth Hogan
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/28
date added: 2024/06/28
shelves:
review:
Unique book about finding lost things and writing about where they might have come from and how they were lost. Interesting characters that you hope turn out all right.
]]> <![CDATA[T is for Trespass (Kinsey Millhone, #20)]]> 410445 trespass \'trespes\ n: a transgression of law involving one's obligations to God or to one's neighbor; a violation of moral law; an offense; a sin
-Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, Unabridged

In what may be her most unsettling novel to date, Sue Grafton's T is for Trespass is also her most direct confrontation with the forces of evil. Beginning slowly with the day-to-day life of a private eye, Grafton suddenly shifts from the voice of Kinsey Millhone to that of Solana Rojas, introducing readers to a chilling sociopath. Rojas is not her birth name. It is an identity she cunningly stole, an identity that gives her access to private caregiving jobs. The true horror of the novel builds with excruciating tension as the reader foresees the awfulness that lies ahead. The suspense lies in whether Millhone will realize what is happening in time to intervene. Though set in the late eighties, T is for Trespass could not be more topical: identity theft; elder abuse; betrayal of trust; the breakdown in the institutions charged with caring for the weak and the dependent. It reveals a terrifying but all-too-real rip in the social fabric. Once again, Grafton opens up new territory with startling results.]]> 387 Sue Grafton 0399154485 Alexw 2 3.95 2007 T is for Trespass (Kinsey Millhone, #20)
author: Sue Grafton
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2024/06/09
date added: 2024/06/09
shelves:
review:
Instead of T for Trespass a better name would have been T for Trouble Writing a Story. A large part of the novel deals with a fender bender(yawn) and the rest a battle of (nit)wits on identity theft.
]]> <![CDATA[Fresh Disasters (Stone Barrington, #13)]]> 156600
It starts out as just another night at Elaine's, where Stone is enjoying the company of friends. Then the notoriously not-so-sharp Herbie Fisher walks in, and the pleasant atmosphere turns to ice. Herbie convinces Bill Eggers, managing partner of Woodman & Weld, to sign him as a client - with the goal of taking down infamous mafia boss Carmine Datilla. And even though Stone doesn't want to have anything to do with Herbie, or the mafia for that matter, he is soon coerced into the job by Eggers. With the help of ex-partner Dino, Stone investigates "Datilla the Hun" and the rest of the family - encountering intrigue and danger at every turn. Will Stone end up at the bottom of Sheepshead Bay?

'Fresh Disasters' is Woods at the very height of his storytelling powers.

Librarian's note: the characters, settings and other information for the first 25 books in the series are complete as best possible (corrections are welcome!) for: #1, New York Dead, 1991; #2, Dirt, 1996; #3, Dead in the Water, 1997; #4, Swimming to Catalina, 1998; #5, Worst Fears Realized, 1999; #6, L.A. Dead, 2000; #7, Cold Paradise, 2001; #8, The Short Forever, 2002; #9, Dirty Work, 2003; #10, Reckless Abandon, 2004; #11, Two Dollar Bill, 2004; #12. Dark Harbor, 2006; #13, Fresh Disasters, 2007; #14, Shoot Him if He Runs, 2007; #15, Hot Mahogany, 2008; #16, Loitering with Intent, 2009; #17, Kisser, 2009; #18, Lucid Intervals, 2010; #19, Strategic Moves, 2010; #20, Bel-Air Dead, 2011; #21, Son of Stone, 2011; #22, D.C. Dead, 2011; #23, Unnatural Acts, 2012; #24, Severe Clear, 2012; and #25, Collateral Damage, 2012.]]> 288 Stuart Woods 0739480812 Alexw 3 3.83 2007 Fresh Disasters (Stone Barrington, #13)
author: Stuart Woods
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/02
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves:
review:
Another hard scrabble private detective beating the bad guys. This one has sharp dialogue, 3 love conquests by the main character and (amazingly-just kidding) all 3 women just finished in the top ten in the last Miss World Contest-LOL! Give a Mafia boss, psycho stalker and an adulterous lawyer their just dues & was entertaining.
]]> Roughing It 38747 560 Mark Twain 0743436504 Alexw 4 3.87 1872 Roughing It
author: Mark Twain
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1872
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/30
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves:
review:
Twain's sarcastic wit is on hilarious display, especially when he unsuccessfully tries to get rich while digging for silver in Nevada.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)]]> 60144955
When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this—and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner, Cormoran Strike, become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits � and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .]]> 1391 Robert Galbraith 0316473537 Alexw 4 4.07 2022 The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/11
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves:
review:
JK Rowling (aka Robert Galbraith) hilariously lampoons the followers of a dark internet cartoon. Calling them all anorexic and looking for self-harm. Even the creator of the cartoon doesn't know what the dark cartoon is about and after some brilliant deduction by Robin and Cormoran the case is solved.
]]> <![CDATA[The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay]]> 52527061
Michael Chabon's exceptional novel is a thrilling tight-rope walk between high comedy and bitter tragedy, and confirms his position as one of the most inventive and daring of contemporary American writers. In Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay, he has created two unforgettable characters bound together by love, family and cartoons.]]> 639 Michael Chabon 1841154938 Alexw 4 4.19 2000 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
author: Michael Chabon
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hero of the Pacific: The Life of Marine Legend John Basilone]]> 6854713 From New York Times bestselling author James Brady - the story of Marine legend John Basilone, one of three main characters in HBO's The Pacific

Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was a Marine legend who received the Medal of Honor for holding off 3,000 Japanese on Guadalcanal and the Navy Cross posthumously for his bravery on Iwo Jima. This is the story of how a young man from Raritan, New Jersey, became one of America's biggest World War II heroes.

- Profiles one of three main characters in HBO's The Pacific, the sequel scheduled for March 2010 to the incredibly popular 2001 mini-series Band of Brothers
- Sorts through the differing accounts of Basilone's life and exploits, including what he did on Iwo Jima and how he died
- The final book by James Brady, the Korean War veteran and well-known columnist and author of books that include Why Marines Fight and an autobiography, The Coldest War, a Pulitzer Prize finalist

An incredible story masterfully told, Hero of the Pacific will appeal to anyone with an interest in World War II and military history as well as fans of HBO's The Pacific.]]> 254 James Brady 0470379413 Alexw 3 3.60 2009 Hero of the Pacific: The Life of Marine Legend John Basilone
author: James Brady
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/25
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves:
review:
Only three stars because of the author. 10 stars for John Basilone. While most authors form a hero worship on their subjects in biographies (Carl Sanburg on Lincoln & for a lesser extent McCullough on Truman) this author goes the opposite way and tries to denigrate Basilone's legacy. Two eyewitness accounts of Basilone's brave actions resulting in his heroic death on Iwo Jima are disgustingly tried to show that, that way could not have happened. This author is extremely jealous of Basilone. He should know that in the fog of war that things happen so fast.
]]> <![CDATA[Mind Prey (Lucas Davenport, #7)]]> 37298
It was raining when psychiatrist Andi Manette left the parent-teacher conference with her two young daughters. She was distracted and barely noticed the red van parked beside her, barely noticed the van door slide open as they dashed up to their car. But she did notice the hand reaching out for her and the voice from out of the past. And then the Manette family was gone.

Hours later, deputy chief Lucas Davenport stood in the parking lot, a blood-stained shoe in his hand, the ground stained pink around him, and knew that this would be one of the worst cases he'd ever been on. With an urgency born of dread, he presses the attack, while in an isolated farmhouse, Andi Manette does the same, summoning all her skills to battle an obsessed captor. She knows the man who has taken her and her daughters, knows there is a chink in his armor, if only she can find it. But for both her and Davenport, time is running out.

John Sandford's novels have always been extraordinary for their harrowing twists, unforgettable characters, and crackling prose. Mind Prey tops them all. The work of a true master.]]> 354 John Sandford 0425152898 Alexw 1 This author really needs to seek help and ASAP.]]> 4.18 1995 Mind Prey (Lucas Davenport, #7)
author: John Sandford
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1995
rating: 1
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2024/04/18
shelves:
review:
After reading this disturbing novel, one can only hope that the author gets the psychiatric help he needs. This novel is about a young woman and her two young daughters who get kidnapped by a psycho. After being totally shocked by a vivid rape scene, I skipped the rest of the pages (which I never do) until the I got to the pages where villain was being pursued by the good guys. Even then, the sadistic author referred that the woman was raped twenty (20)! times, the younger one throw into a cistern to die, while all the time laughing manically.
This author really needs to seek help and ASAP.
]]> The Boys from Biloxi 61065355
Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends, as well as Little League all-stars. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith’s father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to “clean up the Coast.� Hugh’s father became the “Boss� of Biloxi’s criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father’s footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father’s clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom.

Life itself hangs in the balance in The Boys from Biloxi, a sweeping saga rich with history and with a large cast of unforgettable characters.]]> 464 John Grisham 0385548923 Alexw 3 3.81 2022 The Boys from Biloxi
author: John Grisham
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/15
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:
Very unexciting until the bombing & then Grisham's legal expertise takes off and the novel becomes a page turner.
]]> <![CDATA[The White Princess (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #5)]]> 12326627 Caught between loyalties, the mother of the Tudors must choose between the red rose and the white.

When Henry Tudor picks up the crown of England from the mud of Bosworth field, he knows he must marry the princess of the enemy house—Elizabeth of York—to unify a country divided by war for nearly two decades.

But his bride is still in love with his slain enemy, Richard III—and her mother and half of England dream of a missing heir, sent into the unknown by the White Queen. While the new monarchy can win power, it cannot win hearts in an England that plots for the triumphant return of the House of York.

Henry’s greatest fear is that somewhere a prince is waiting to invade and reclaim the throne. When a young man who would be king leads his army and invades England, Elizabeth has to choose between the new husband she is coming to love and the boy who claims to be her beloved lost brother: the rose of York come home at last.]]> 544 Philippa Gregory Alexw 2 3.93 2013 The White Princess (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #5)
author: Philippa Gregory
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/06
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves:
review:
After watching the tremendous Netflix series, The Crown and reading this novel, all doubt should be removed from abolishing the England's royal family. Rage, amount of deceit, backstabbing (literally and figuratively), cruelty and paranoia is off the charts measurable. Am amazed that they all didn't die from stomach ulcers as much as they worried themselves to death.
]]> Napoleon: A Life 20821092 The definitive biography of the great soldier-statesman by the New York Times bestselling author of The Storm of War—winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography and theGrand Prix of the Fondation Napoleon

Austerlitz, Borodino, Waterloo: his battles are among the greatest in history, but Napoleon Bonaparte was far more than a military genius and astute leader of men. Like George Washington and his own hero Julius Caesar, he was one of the greatest soldier-statesmen of all times.

Andrew Roberts’s Napoleon is the first one-volume biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon’s thirty-three thousand letters, which radically transform our understanding of his character and motivation. At last we see him as he was: protean multitasker, decisive, surprisingly willing to forgive his enemies and his errant wife Josephine. Like Churchill, he understood the strategic importance of telling his own story, and his memoirs, dictated from exile on St. Helena, became the single bestselling book of the nineteenth century.

An award-winning historian, Roberts traveled to fifty-three of Napoleon’s sixty battle sites, discovered crucial new documents in archives, and even made the long trip by boat to St. Helena. He is as acute in his understanding of politics as he is of military history. Here at last is a biography worthy of its subject: magisterial, insightful, beautifully written, by one of our foremost historians.]]> 976 Andrew Roberts 0670025321 Alexw 5 4.19 2014 Napoleon: A Life
author: Andrew Roberts
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/04
date added: 2024/04/04
shelves:
review:
Fantastic biography with many hidden gems about his historic life. His wife, Josephine teeth were so bad that she never smiled. Napoleon never won a naval battle & the only time he went against the British was his loss at Waterloo. His ill-advised plan to invade Britain which never happened, his conquer of faraway Egypt but not his neighbor country of Spain. His attempted suicide and his remarkable coup from Elba are detailed in rich prose. His idol was Julius Caesar, he imprisoned the Pope, the brilliant selling of Louisiana Purchase to fund his wars and his conviction that having the draft lead to his downfall.
]]> The Turn of the Key 42080142
What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.]]> 337 Ruth Ware 1501188771 Alexw 3 3.91 2019 The Turn of the Key
author: Ruth Ware
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/22
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:
This is a great buddy read book because without my fellow reader, I never would have finished this poorly written novel. The owner of the estate has 2 small children & a poison garden for them to play in !! The book is 336 pages long and you don't know who got murdered until page 324. The main character jumps out of her skin on every page and when you find out who is scaring her, the plot has no credibility. Throw in a truly lecherous father and you have zero characters you even care for or are worth your time.
]]> Code to Zero 5052
The year is 1958, and America is about to launch its first satellite in a desperate attempt to match the Soviet Sputnik and regain the lead in the space race. As Luke Lucas gradually unravels the mystery of his amnesia, he realizes that his fate is bound up with that of the rocket that stands ready on launch pad 26B at Cape Canaveral.

And as he relearns the story of his life, he uncovers long-kept secrets about his wife, his best friend and the woman he once loved more than life itself�

Code to Zero deals with one of the most ruthlessly contested arenas of the Cold War. Deceit and betrayal, love and trust interweave at the most political and personal levels, while the spectre of mind-control hovers constantly above. Each second brings destruction closer…]]> 384 Ken Follett 0451216725 Alexw 2 Add a plot that puts the fuddle in befuddled and only Follett's reputation got this published. Very disappointed in book.]]> 3.72 2000 Code to Zero
author: Ken Follett
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/20
date added: 2024/03/20
shelves:
review:
If there was ever a poster boy for book smart, people stupid, it would be the hero of this story. Everyone around him is a Soviet spy and which he is totally obviously about and (no kidding), he is a rocket scientist for NASA-LMAO!! Neither NASA or the CIA will endorse this novel as they both come off as idiots.
Add a plot that puts the fuddle in befuddled and only Follett's reputation got this published. Very disappointed in book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War]]> 2067622 187 Stephen Crane 0380704323 Alexw 5 Do have a problem as the naive farm boy who has never been of the farm suddenly becomes this brilliant philosopher of life after the first battle. Ironically how he receives the blow to his head for the red badge of courage is from Union Soldier who hits him while fleeing! Writer calls him youth until he proves his bravery and then is called Henry. My only fear is that Henry now thinks he is immortal in battle after receiving a general's praise.
A classic for all time.]]> 3.30 1895 The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War
author: Stephen Crane
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.30
book published: 1895
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/23
date added: 2024/03/07
shelves:
review:
From page 24-28, some of the most graphic, detailed writing of battle that I have read. You can smell the gunpowder and elation as they repel the first wave and then the horrific panic of fleeing as the 2nd wave runs them over.
Do have a problem as the naive farm boy who has never been of the farm suddenly becomes this brilliant philosopher of life after the first battle. Ironically how he receives the blow to his head for the red badge of courage is from Union Soldier who hits him while fleeing! Writer calls him youth until he proves his bravery and then is called Henry. My only fear is that Henry now thinks he is immortal in battle after receiving a general's praise.
A classic for all time.
]]> The Huntress 40245700 In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted�

Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.

Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.

In this immersive, heart-wrenching story, Kate Quinn illuminates the consequences of war on individual lives, and the price we pay to seek justice and truth.]]> 560 Kate Quinn Alexw 4 But throw in a fascinating character of Nina, enough battle scenes to keep me happy & a four-star rating is justified.]]> 4.32 2019 The Huntress
author: Kate Quinn
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/26
date added: 2024/02/26
shelves:
review:
This would have been a no doubter 5-star rating except for some glaring and irksome plot mistakes. Once the Nazi confesses that she lies who she is, the other people in her life never verified who she really was! Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice-shame on me. The rest of the fun novel has 2 Nazi hunters looking for her when one of them actually works for her & sees her all the time! Ludicrous.
But throw in a fascinating character of Nina, enough battle scenes to keep me happy & a four-star rating is justified.
]]> <![CDATA[Troubled Blood (Cormoran Strike, #5)]]> 51807232
Strike has never tackled a cold case before, let alone one forty years old. But despite the slim chance of success, he is intrigued and takes it on; adding to the long list of cases that he and his partner in the agency, Robin Ellacott, are currently working on. And Robin herself is also juggling a messy divorce and unwanted male attention, as well as battling her own feelings about Strike.

As Strike and Robin investigate Margot's disappearance, they come up against a fiendishly complex case with leads that include tarot cards, a psychopathic serial killer and witnesses who cannot all be trusted. And they learn that even cases decades old can prove to be deadly . . .]]> 944 Robert Galbraith 0751579939 Alexw 4 She starts every chapter with a poem from the Fairie Queene by Edmund Spencer which was her inspiration for Harry Potter.]]> 4.32 2020 Troubled Blood (Cormoran Strike, #5)
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/19
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves:
review:
Robert Galbraith (really JK Rowling) has spun another fascinating web of a world-weary detective. taking on several cases at once which makes it hard to discern which character is whom, but the story still works. Throw in enough red herrings to stock two seafood markets & the fun is fast paced. However, the old wacked out girlfriend does get tiring. The main character, Strike & his partner Robin feelings for each other are reminiscent of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum & Ranger but without nearly enough hilarity. Her telling of Strike interviewing a serial murderer is chilling. Still Rowling spins her Harry Potter magic which sentences that leap off the page with such truth & clarity that they stun you, "His round shoulders and hangdog look gave him the air of a man whose life had ground down to sullen obedience." What writing!!
She starts every chapter with a poem from the Fairie Queene by Edmund Spencer which was her inspiration for Harry Potter.
]]> Lamb in His Bosom 267478
Caroline Miller was fascinated by the other Old South—not the romantic inhabitants of Gone With the Wind, but rather the poor people of the south Georgia backwoods, who never owned a slave or planned to fight a war. The story of Cean and Lonzo, a young couple who begin their married lives two decades before the Civil War, Lamb in His Bosom is a fascinating account of social customs and material realities among settlers of the Georgia frontier. At the same time, Lamb in His Bosom transcends regional history as Miller's quietly lyrical prose style pays poignant tribute to a woman's life lived close to nature—the nature outside her and the nature within.]]> 357 Caroline Miller 156145074X Alexw 4 While showing the tremendous courage of a hard scrabble life in rural Georgia during the Civil War of most of the characters, Lias was one of the most idiotic characters ever. He falls in love with the first woman who says hi to him, fathers a bastard & sees another woman on the coast while knowing his other two women know all about his third women! He is on his death bed in California and cruelly pens a message that he will be coming home soon which is just to torture his family. The main character, Cean views on racism were also hard to stomach.]]> 3.82 1933 Lamb in His Bosom
author: Caroline Miller
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1933
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/14
date added: 2024/02/14
shelves:
review:

While showing the tremendous courage of a hard scrabble life in rural Georgia during the Civil War of most of the characters, Lias was one of the most idiotic characters ever. He falls in love with the first woman who says hi to him, fathers a bastard & sees another woman on the coast while knowing his other two women know all about his third women! He is on his death bed in California and cruelly pens a message that he will be coming home soon which is just to torture his family. The main character, Cean views on racism were also hard to stomach.
]]> <![CDATA[One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich]]> 117942 The only English translation authorized by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

First published in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich stands as a classic of contemporary literature. The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's forced work camps, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union and confirms Solzhenitsyn's stature as "a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dosotevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy"--Harrison Salisbury

This unexpurgated 1991 translation by H. T. Willetts is the only authorized edition available, and fully captures the power and beauty of the original Russian.]]> 160 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 0451523105 Alexw 5 to-read 3.91 1962 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
author: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1962
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Echo in the Bone (Outlander, #7)]]> 2832909
Jamie Fraser, erstwhile Jacobite and reluctant rebel, knows three things about the American rebellion: the Americans will win, unlikely as that seems in 1778; being on the winning side is no guarantee of survival; and he’d rather die than face his illegitimate son � a young lieutenant in the British Army � across the barrel of a gun. Fraser’s time-travelling wife, Claire, also knows a couple of things: that the Americans will win, but that the ultimate price of victory is a mystery. What she does believe is that the price won’t include Jamie’s life or happiness � not if she has anything to say.

Claire’s grown daughter Brianna, and her husband, Roger, watch the unfolding of Brianna’s parents� history � a past that may be sneaking up behind their own family.]]> 820 Diana Gabaldon 0752898477 Alexw 5 Jamie & Claire continue to have torrid love scenes all though Claire ends up with Lord Grey too!!]]> 4.42 2009 An Echo in the Bone (Outlander, #7)
author: Diana Gabaldon
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/09
date added: 2024/02/09
shelves:
review:
Gabaldon never disappoints. This novel shows how she views Ian, once the fumbler (was he who threw ether on the fire which caused the house to burn down), in this novel he is shown to be more complex. While he is still the comedian, as he rescues two orphans who tried to rob him with hilarious results, he also grieves over shooting a woman but shows no remorse for cold blooding killing a man with a knife for no cause.
Jamie & Claire continue to have torrid love scenes all though Claire ends up with Lord Grey too!!
]]> Someone Else's Shoes 62971668 A story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances, this is the new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You and The Giver of Stars.

Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes?

Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope--she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.

That’s because Sam Kemp � in the bleakest point of her life � has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag--she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself.

Full of Jojo Moyes� signature humor, brilliant storytelling, and warmth, Someone Else’s Shoes is a story about how just one little thing can suddenly change everything.]]> 438 Jojo Moyes 1984879294 Alexw 0 to-read 3.88 2023 Someone Else's Shoes
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Writing Retreat 61273863
Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she must discover the truth—or suffer the same fate.]]> 313 Julia Bartz 1982199458 Alexw 0 to-read 3.41 2023 The Writing Retreat
author: Julia Bartz
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> War Storm (Red Queen, #4) 27188596 Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all� starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power� for all will be tested, but not all will survive.]]> 662 Victoria Aveyard 0062422995 Alexw 3 Compared to Game Of Thrones, this deserved a 3 rating.]]> 3.80 2018 War Storm (Red Queen, #4)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/01
date added: 2024/02/01
shelves:
review:
While the author should be given an A for imagination with the characters superpowers, the number of times (just in this book-the 4th in the series) that they were going to kill treacherous Maven was in double digits. Each chapter was told from the perspective of a different character which was fascinating. Also, the battle scenes were thrilling.
Compared to Game Of Thrones, this deserved a 3 rating.
]]> The Name of the Rose 119073 552 Umberto Eco 0156001314 Alexw 4 Throw in so many murders that all the suspects were almost eliminated, a sadist inquisitor, a monk who is like Sherlock Holmes and a young naive monk and was highly entertaining. Fascinating !!]]> 4.13 1980 The Name of the Rose
author: Umberto Eco
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/17
date added: 2024/01/29
shelves:
review:
While billed as a murder mystery, this is really a treatise from the author on his views of religion(dislikes), Pope (detests), Latin(loves), books (so important to mankind) Jesus laughing (yes, he did) and the Antichrist (he is here).
Throw in so many murders that all the suspects were almost eliminated, a sadist inquisitor, a monk who is like Sherlock Holmes and a young naive monk and was highly entertaining. Fascinating !!
]]> <![CDATA[The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)]]> 17378527
All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.]]> 439 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424984 Alexw 2 4.26 2016 The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2024/01/29
date added: 2024/01/29
shelves:
review:
Most of the characters acted like they want to be Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter books. The scene where they auctioned off a demon was ludicrous and half the book was the characters asking-"Am I dreaming?"
]]> <![CDATA[My Year of Rest and Relaxation]]> 44279110
Our narrator should be happy, shouldn’t she? She’s young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, works an easy job at a hip art gallery, lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like the rest of her needs, by her inheritance. But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart, and it isn’t just the loss of her parents, or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her, or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend, Reva. It’s the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong?

My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a powerful answer to that question. Through the story of a year spent under the influence of a truly mad combination of drugs designed to heal our heroine from her alienation from this world, Moshfegh shows us how reasonable, even necessary, alienation can be. Both tender and blackly funny, merciless and compassionate, it is a showcase for the gifts of one of our major writers working at the height of her powers.]]> 289 Ottessa Moshfegh 0525522131 Alexw 0 to-read 3.62 2018 My Year of Rest and Relaxation
author: Ottessa Moshfegh
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)]]> 60556912
Every day I clean the Winchesters� beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out� and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of�

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!]]> 329 Freida McFadden 1803144378 Alexw 0 to-read 4.31 2022 The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House of Wolves (An August Adams Adventure, #2)]]> 20495683
The manuscript has been showing up and disappearing ever since. No one knows where the relic has been hidden . . . or its ultimate power. Only one man holds the key to the mystery. And if August Adams can't decode the secret in time, the world's balance of power will forever be altered.]]> 337 Matt Bronleewe Alexw 5 3.85 2008 House of Wolves (An August Adams Adventure, #2)
author: Matt Bronleewe
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves:
review:
Always great to find a hidden gem of a book like this one. Will definitely read more of this fascinating author's books. Crisp dialogue & double crosses galore keep the pages turning way into the night. Despite the similarities to the Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade movie of father & son looking for a Christian relic with some Nazi references, this novel holds up & deserves the 5-star rating. I did laugh as they have a $14 million dollar book that they carry around like it is a 2-month-old edition of the National Enquirer.
]]> <![CDATA[Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)]]> 55042149 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0046RE5HW

Agatha Christie’s most exotic murder mystery, reissued with a striking cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything � until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.� Yet in this exotic setting� nothing is ever quite what it seems�

]]> 181 Agatha Christie Alexw 5 4.23 1937 Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/02
date added: 2024/01/14
shelves:
review:
Best Agatha novel ever. More twists and turns than you can imagine with fascinating characters with interesting dialogue in spectacular settings. Buddy reading was another plus that made the magic of this book truly enjoyable. Can't recommend the reading enough. Enjoy!
]]> <![CDATA[The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge, #0)]]> 49239093
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.

In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when his home is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and it soon becomes clear to her that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.

Thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, Follett's masterful new prequel The Evening and the Morning takes us on an epic journey into a historical past rich with ambition and rivalry, death and birth, love and hate, that will end where The Pillars of the Earth begins.]]> 913 Ken Follett 0525954988 Alexw 5 4.32 2020 The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge, #0)
author: Ken Follett
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/12
date added: 2024/01/12
shelves:
review:
One of the Master of Historical Fiction has done it again. Follett novel at 912 pages is a feast for your literary hunger. Has dastardly hideous murder by brothers of their brother with their mother's blessing, a lecherous bishop who gets VD from a prostitute which leads to leprosy, a Sophie's Choice & enough blood thirsty Vikings to keep your interest piqued for the entire book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts]]> 101160753
When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots—a group then made up exclusively of men—had the right stuff. It was an era in which women were steered away from jobs in science and deemed unqualified for space flight. Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000 six elite women were selected in 1978—Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon.

In The Six , acclaimed journalist Loren Grush shows these brilliant and courageous women enduring claustrophobic—and sometimes deeply sexist—media attention, undergoing rigorous survival training, and preparing for years to take multi-million-dollar payloads into orbit. Together, the Six helped build the tools that made the space program run. One of the group, Judy Resnik, sacrificed her life when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded at 46,000 feet. Everyone knows of Sally Ride’s history-making first space ride, but each of the Six would make their mark.]]> 432 Loren Grush 1982172800 Alexw 4 One minor annoyance for me was the author's fixation on TV late night show host Johnny Carson's snide remarks on the female astronauts because who would pay attention to a guy who has had 4 wives on his views of females?
Overall, excellent and a great companion to Thomas Wolfe's tremendous novel, The Right Stuff.]]> 4.32 2023 The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts
author: Loren Grush
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/06
date added: 2024/01/06
shelves:
review:
Fascinating accounting of what the female astronauts had to go through to realize their dream of space travel. Their courage & perseverance was remarkable as was their ability to adapt to unforeseen dangerous problems in space.
One minor annoyance for me was the author's fixation on TV late night show host Johnny Carson's snide remarks on the female astronauts because who would pay attention to a guy who has had 4 wives on his views of females?
Overall, excellent and a great companion to Thomas Wolfe's tremendous novel, The Right Stuff.
]]> Zero Days 62919765 Ruth Ware returns with this adrenaline-fueled thriller about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.

Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer.]]> 356 Ruth Ware 1982155299 Alexw 0 to-read 3.59 2023 Zero Days
author: Ruth Ware
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wings of Fire (Inspector Ian Rutledge, #2)]]> 20234 Inspector Ian Rutledge is quickly sent to investigate the sudden deaths of three members of the same eminent Cornwall family, but the World War I veteran soon realizes that nothing about this case is routine. Including the identity of one of the dead, a reclusive spinster unmasked as O.A. Manning, whose war poetry helped Rutledge retain his grasp on sanity in the trenches of France. Guided by the voice of Hamish, the Scot he unwillingly executed on the battlefield, Rutledge is driven to uncover the haunting truths of murder and madness rooted in a family crypt...]]> 323 Charles Todd 0312965680 Alexw 0 to-read 3.94 1998 Wings of Fire (Inspector Ian Rutledge, #2)
author: Charles Todd
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dust (Kay Scarpetta, #21) 17707654
A body, oddly draped in an unusual cloth, has just been discovered inside the sheltered gates of MIT and it’s suspected the identity is that of missing computer engineer Gail Shipton, last seen the night before at a trendy Cambridge bar. It appears she’s been murdered, mere weeks before the trial of her $100 million lawsuit against her former financial managers, and Scarpetta doubts it’s a coincidence. She also fears the case may have a connection with her computer genius niece, Lucy.

At a glance there is no sign of what killed Gail Shipton, but she’s covered with a fine dust that under ultraviolet light fluoresces brilliantly in three vivid colors, what Scarpetta calls a mineral fingerprint. Clearly the body has been posed with chilling premeditation that is symbolic and meant to shock, and Scarpetta has reason to worry that the person responsible is the Capital Murderer, whose most recent sexual homicides have terrorized Washington, D.C. Stunningly, Scarpetta will discover that her FBI profiler husband, Benton Wesley, is convinced that certain people in the government, including his boss, don’t want the killer caught.

InDust, Scarpetta and her colleagues are up against a force far more sinister than a sexual predator who fits the criminal classification of a "spectacle killer." The murder of Gail Shipton soon leads deep into the dark world of designer drugs, drone technology, organized crime, and shocking corruption at the highest levels.

With unparalleled high-tension suspense and the latest in forensic technology, Patricia Cornwell once again proves her exceptional ability to surprise—and to thrill.]]> 512 Patricia Cornwell 0399157573 Alexw 4 3.51 2013 Dust (Kay Scarpetta, #21)
author: Patricia Cornwell
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/29
date added: 2023/12/29
shelves:
review:
Written way before the TV series, Bones the parallels are striking. Both females are forensic scientists and their husbands are FBI. All of them solve grisly murders. Throw in some corrupt arrogant FBI boss, a serial killer who is taking strong mind-altering drugs & some seriously expensive paintings & you have an entertaining novel.
]]> Lessons in Chemistry 58065033 390 Bonnie Garmus Alexw 4 4.23 2022 Lessons in Chemistry
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/28
date added: 2023/12/28
shelves:
review:
Great scathing criticism of women working in the 1950's with getting paid less than their male counterparts, the chauvinistic view that women can't conceive of great ideas & having the boss take credit for your work. In sexual harassment is where the author does her best work as a male tries sexually assault a female coworker & she draws a knife and he faints!! HILARIOUS!!!!
]]> <![CDATA[Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)]]> 1009709 373 Agatha Christie 0007815530 Alexw 0 to-read 4.05 1937 Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1937
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike, #2)]]> 18214414 Private investigator Cormoran Strike returns in a new mystery from Robert Galbraith, author of the #1 international bestseller The Cuckoo's Calling.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...]]> 464 Robert Galbraith 0316206873 Alexw 4 Did not guess the ending and will definitely read more of her novels on Strike.]]> 4.02 2014 The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike, #2)
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/25
date added: 2023/12/25
shelves:
review:
A gruesome murder of a gruesome person is investigated by Strike a world-weary detective who resembles Humphrey Boart in the Maltese Falcon. The author Galbraith (really JK Rowling) makes you forget she wrote the Harry Potter novels as she takes swipes at alcoholic publisher and fellow authors as she writes "If you want a lifetime of temporary alliances with peers who will glory in your failures, write novels."
Did not guess the ending and will definitely read more of her novels on Strike.
]]> We Begin at the End 50279680
Duchess Day Radley is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Rules are for other people. She is the fierce protector of her five-year-old brother, Robin, and the parent to her mother, Star, a single mom incapable of taking care of herself, let alone her two kids.

Walk has never left the coastal California town where he and Star grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. And he's in overdrive protecting Duchess and her brother.

Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released. And Duchess and Walk must face the trouble that comes with his return. We Begin at the End is an extraordinary novel about two kinds of families—the ones we are born into and the ones we create.]]> 384 Chris Whitaker 1250759668 Alexw 0 to-read 4.10 2020 We Begin at the End
author: Chris Whitaker
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sula 11346 174 Toni Morrison 0452283868 Alexw 4 I will read Beloved sometime in 2024 and look forward to comparing novels. I found that Sula's narrative wandered aimlessly after one of the deaths of the main character hopefully, that will not be the case of Beloved.]]> 4.05 1973 Sula
author: Toni Morrison
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1973
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/13
date added: 2023/12/13
shelves:
review:
Published 14 years before her Pulitzer Prize Winner Beloved, Sula is a dark contrast between childhood friends. One friend sees her mother burn to death a relative and then (poetic justice?), the same mother watches her daughter burn to death. Same friend goes away and after 10 years returns and immediately screws her best friend's husband! She expires from VD at age 31 in pain but not remorseful at all (in fact thinks she did nothing wrong) about wrecking the marriage of her supposedly best friend.
I will read Beloved sometime in 2024 and look forward to comparing novels. I found that Sula's narrative wandered aimlessly after one of the deaths of the main character hopefully, that will not be the case of Beloved.
]]> <![CDATA[Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland]]> 60482754
“We don’t complain about things, Kristi. We fix them.� Taking her father’s words to heart, South Dakota's first woman governor Kristi Noem shares heartfelt � and heartbreaking � lessons on making things right in the world, from her childhood on a farm in the vastness of rural America, to the marbled halls of Congress, to the national spotlight amid a global pandemic.

From humorous barnyard battles with feisty cattle and rodeo horses, to the tragic and untimely death of her larger-than-life father, to her decision to her decision to return and run the farm and ranch with her family, Noem invites readers into a life defined by work, faith, and helping others. Noem's reflections are offered in the familiar, unvarnished voice of a woman who later defied Washington’s most powerful politicians and led the people of her small, hardscrabble state through natural disasters, the pain of a global pandemic, and the fear and turmoil that gripped the nation after.

While filled with plenty of candid observations and refreshingly frank assessments of the country's leading figures, the memoir's most powerful moments nevertheless come from honest glimpses into marriage, motherhood, and leadership in an unpredictable time.

Far from a book about politics, Not My First Rodeo is the story of a life lived so far � with characters as richly textured as the Black Hills, and reflections as gentle and powerful as America itself.]]> 289 Kristi Noem 1538707071 Alexw 3 4.35 2022 Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland
author: Kristi Noem
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/13
date added: 2023/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge]]> 2369 Published on the fortieth anniversary of its initial publication, this edition of the classic book contains a new Preface by David McCullough, “one of our most gifted living writers� (The Washington Post).

Built to join the rapidly expanding cities of New York and Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Bridge was thought by many at the start to be an impossibility destined to fail if not from insurmountable technical problems then from political corruption. (It was the heyday of Boss Tweed in New York.)

But the Brooklyn Bridge was at once the greatest engineering triumph of the age, a surpassing work of art, a proud American icon, and a story like no other in our history. Courage, chicanery, unprecedented ingenuity and plain blundering, heroes, rascals, all the best and worst in human nature played a part. At the center of the drama were the stricken chief engineer, Washington Roebling and his remarkable wife, Emily Warren Roebling, neither of whom ever gave up in the face of one heartbreaking setback after another.

The Great Bridge is a sweeping narrative of a stupendous American achievement that rose up out of its era like a cathedral, a symbol of affirmation then and still in our time.

]]> 608 David McCullough 0743217373 Alexw 4 4.24 1972 The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
author: David McCullough
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1972
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/06
date added: 2023/12/06
shelves:
review:
McCullough's earliest published book has too much technical explanation of the bridge especially on the wiring. But it is a McCullough and his wonderful narrative of the people comes alive to show their personalities. Particular of interest is the main character who built the Brooklyn Bridge and was at Little Round Top at Gettysburg which turned the battle, he was also broken in health from his trial and tribulations of building the great bridge and the rise and fall of Boss Tweed was fascinating.
]]> <![CDATA[Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of our Times]]> 29358 560 George Crile 0802141242 Alexw 0 3.99 2003 Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of our Times
author: George Crile
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)]]> 16328
The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells� before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on ŷ.]]> 288 Agatha Christie 1579126278 Alexw 5 4.26 1926 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1926
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/28
date added: 2023/11/28
shelves:
review:
Marvelous Madam of Mystery does it again ! Fully developed characters with rich dialogue who keep you guessing till the end (I guessed wrong) with Poirot on top of his game. Another fun exciting read.
]]> <![CDATA[I Said Yes to Everything: A Memoir]]> 18693908
And then she lost it all.

Her name landed on the Hollywood black­list, her offers for film and television roles ground to a halt, and her marriage fell apart.

Finding reserves of strength she didn’t know she had, Grant took action against anti-Communist witch hunts in the arts. She threw herself into work, accepting every theater or teaching job that came her way. She met a man ten years her junior and began a wild, liberat­ing fling that she never expected would last a lifetime. And after twelve years of fighting the blacklist, she was finally exonerated. With cour­age and style, Grant rebuilt her life on her own first stop, a starring role on Peyton Place , and then leads in Valley of the Dolls , In the Heat of the Night , and Shampoo, for which she won her first Oscar.

Set amid the New York theater scene of the fifties and the star-studded parties of Malibu in the seventies, I Said Yes to Everything evokes a world of political passion and movie-star glamour. Grant tells endlessly delightful tales of costars and friends such as Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, and Sidney Poitier, and writes with the verve and candor befitting such a seductive and beloved star.]]> 480 Lee Grant 039916930X Alexw 1 Her flaunting her affairs with too many married men to mention because of ŷ limit on characters made this disgusting to read. ]]> 3.52 2014 I Said Yes to Everything: A Memoir
author: Lee Grant
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at: 2023/11/24
date added: 2023/11/24
shelves:
review:
This was a guilty displeasure as I picked this out of the local library discard pile as it has not been checked out for over 10 years. If this was a movie script instead of Grant's autobiography, she would refuse to do the movie because the main characters are too weird. Just a few of her weird moments are her constant fear of getting old from the nose job, face lifts to shooting up pregnant horse mares' urine (not kidding-page 230) to lose weight in her thighs which the side effects were to give her splitting migraines for the rest of her life and to taking cocaine to keep alert while directing shows.
Her flaunting her affairs with too many married men to mention because of ŷ limit on characters made this disgusting to read.
]]> Alaska 42953 Alaska traces a bold and majestic saga of the enduring spirit of a land and its people.]]> 868 James A. Michener 037576142X Alexw 5 4.13 1988 Alaska
author: James A. Michener
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/21
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves:
review:
Once again, the master storyteller hits the ball out of the ballpark with this epic tale. Whether the irony and symbolism is shown to the sadistic Russian who gets his head bashed in by a coworker in the same way he killed so many baby seals, to the rigors of the Iditarod sled race with moose kills of the sled dogs, the greed and perseverance of the gold miners to the struggle for statehood. Michener keeps your interest throughout the 868 pages. This is what all writers should strive for.
]]> Lady Chatterley's Lover 49583709
With her soft brown hair, lithe figure and big, wondering eyes, Constance Chatterley is possessed of a certain vitality. Yet she is deeply unhappy; married to an invalid, she is almost as inwardly paralyzed as her husband Clifford is paralyzed below the waist. It is not until she finds refuge in the arms of Mellors the game-keeper, a solitary man of a class apart, that she feels regenerated. Together they move from an outer world of chaos towards an inner world of fulfillment.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theseries to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators.]]> 400 D.H. Lawrence 014303961X Alexw 0 to-read 3.48 1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover
author: D.H. Lawrence
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1928
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Fixer 23281921 New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder delivers his next breakneck stand-alone thriller about the secrets families can keep, and the danger of their discovery

When former investigative reporter Rick Hoffman loses his job, fiancée, and apartment, his only option is to move back into � and renovate � the home of his miserable youth, now empty and in decay since the stroke that put his father in a nursing home.

As Rick starts to pull apart the old house, he makes an electrifying discovery � millions of dollars hidden in the walls. It’s enough money to completely transform Rick’s life � and everything he thought he knew about his father. Yet the more of his father’s hidden past that Rick brings to light, the more dangerous his present becomes. Soon, he finds himself on the run from deadly enemies desperate to keep the past buried, and only solving the mystery of his father � a man who has been unable to communicate, comprehend, or care for himself for almost 20 years � will save Rick... if he can survive long enough to do it.]]> 376 Joseph Finder 0525954619 Alexw 3 But the guy does marry the gal in the end despite showing up one time at her door stoned out of his mind.]]> 3.60 2015 The Fixer
author: Joseph Finder
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/17
date added: 2023/11/17
shelves:
review:
Good things criminals are stupid. The crooks finally noticed that their shyster lawyer skimmed $3.5 MILLION from them, then the lawyer hides the money in the walls of a house that ends up abandoned for many years. The shyster lawyer gets beaten up so bad that the has a stroke and is a vegetable for 20 years. His journalist son (our hero) finds the money and then he almost dies from a beating and then the crooks who tried to kill him and his father try to bribe him into not publishing the story. Incredibly stupid book.
But the guy does marry the gal in the end despite showing up one time at her door stoned out of his mind.
]]> Cross (Alex Cross, #12) 13128
Years later, still haunted by his wife's death, Cross is making a bold move in his life. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he's set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex is finally getting in order. He even has a chance at a new love.

Then Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria's death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life.

From the man USA TODAY has called the "master of the genre," CROSS is the high-velocity thriller James Patterson and Alex Cross's fans have waited years to read - and the pinnacle of the bestselling detective series of the past two decades.

This novel was originally published under the title Cross. The movie tie-in editions are published under the title Alex Cross. (less)]]> 393 James Patterson 0316159794 Alexw 2 4.02 2006 Cross (Alex Cross, #12)
author: James Patterson
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 2023/11/08
date added: 2023/11/08
shelves:
review:
Not a fan of graphic descriptions of women being raped and then horribly slashed to death.
]]> <![CDATA[A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)]]> 10965 A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence � with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.]]> 1008 Diana Gabaldon 0385340397 Alexw 5 The fact that all the River Run's household help knows where the gold is and who Ulysses secret lover is while Jamie and Claire do not-was hilarious.]]> 4.42 2005 A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)
author: Diana Gabaldon
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/07
date added: 2023/11/07
shelves:
review:
The amazing series continues as this is the 4th that I have read. While the villainous Bonnett does not appear until page 847, the main story is Jamie fighting for the Americans against the British. Throw in kidnapping of Jamie, Claire and Brianna and you have a great novel. My only fly in the ointment is with Ian as I find him boorish and am amazed at the amount of ink time he gets. His love life is silly and when he is around Jamie, his character is childish.
The fact that all the River Run's household help knows where the gold is and who Ulysses secret lover is while Jamie and Claire do not-was hilarious.
]]> The Shipping News 7354
A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary American family, The Shipping News shows why E. Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.
(back cover)]]> 337 Annie Proulx 0743225422 Alexw 0 to-read 3.88 1993 The Shipping News
author: Annie Proulx
name: Alexw
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Noble House (Asian Saga, #5) 390711 This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN13: 9780440164845.

The tai-pan, Ian Dunross, struggles to rescue Struan's from the precarious financial position left by his predecessor. To do this, he seeks partnership with an American millionaire, while trying to ward off his arch-rival Quillan Gornt, who seeks to destroy Struan's once and for all. Meanwhile, Chinese communists, Taiwanese nationalists, and Soviet spies illegally vie for influence in Hong Kong while the British government seeks to prevent this. And nobody, it seems, can get anything done without enlisting the aid of Hong Kong's criminal underworld. Other obstacles include water shortages, landslides, bank runs and stock market crashes.

Nov. 1987 Dell jumbo mass market paperback, 21st printing. James Clavell.]]> 1376 James Clavell Alexw 4 4.26 1981 Noble House (Asian Saga, #5)
author: James Clavell
name: Alexw
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1981
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/26
date added: 2023/10/26
shelves:
review:
Really this massive novel is distilled into a kidnapping, guns smuggling, spy agent killed and so many attempts to ruin banks on so many different banks to leave you dizzy in trying to discern what financial coup is being attempted. Nobody in this novel would I care to be friends with as everyone is trying to ruin everyone else, and the greed just drips in this interesting novel.
]]>